Center for

Special Studies and Programs

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Achieving excellence in research starts by encouraging high school students and undergraduates to engage in activities that show them the benefit of scientific research, not only in the classroom but in everyday life.

The Youth and Environment Program / the Young Masters Program

The CSSP supervised a program introduced by Lund University in Sweden aimed at youngsters aged between 14-17 years old - therefore called the Young Masters Program. It is an internet-based, interactive distance-learning course in different projects, all involving basic knowledge of environmental problems and sustainable development. Thirty-one students finished the course successfully and received certificates from the University of Lund handed to them by the Governor of Alexandria in a special celebration. The group still meets at the Library every week to discuss different topics and present their ideas. Additionally the CSSP organizes frequent field trips for these youngsters to several interesting environmental places such as the North Coast landfill. The youngsters took pictures of it, prepared presentations on the subject and showed it to an audience including Dr. Ismail Serageldin, the Director of the Library of Alexandria.

The Youth and Environment Program involves 460 students from more than 10 schools in Alexandria in addition to 38 students from different schools in Cairo . More than half of the participants are female. They meet regularly in Alexandria and Cairo to present their projects.

On 30 April 2004, the Youth and Environment group had their second fieldtrip this year. They visited important areas of environmental interest in Alexandria such as the Moharram Bey landfill, Abis landfill, Mariout lake, some cement and petroleum companies at Wadi Alkamar, as well as a recycling company.